Westforce Construction was established in 2006 as an earthworks & concrete specialist. Since then the company has grown to become a major contractor that specialises in all aspects of civil and structural construction works. Our main areas of attention are in the resources sector, infrastructure sector and the government departments.
At Westforce we value our employees as the strongest attribute of our business. Westforce greatly appreciates the effort and contribution from each and every member of staff and value their commitment as the back bone of our business.
In December 2017, Raubex Group a South African publicly listed company became a major shareholder in Westforce. With the backing of Raubex Group Westforce have been continuously growing in capability, capacity and service diversity for the Australian market.
The management team at Westforce has over 50 years’ experience in the construction industry with over 20 years coming from the mining and resource sector.
DIRECTORS
NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Dirk Lourens
Chief Operating Officer
Raubex Group
Braam Kriek
Divisional Managing Director
Raubex Group
Sam Odendaal
Chief Financial Officer
Raubex Group
Phil Clarke
Civil contracting is in Phil’s DNA, after graduating from University of Edinburgh in 2005 alongside fellow Westforce Director Paddy Kearns he helped run the family contracting business in Ireland that focused on reinforced concrete structures for water and sewage management as well as constructing subdivisions for the then booming residential housing market in Ireland.
Since emigrating to Australia in 2009, he has worked on resource and infrastructure projects across Australia, starting at the Logan Motorway Interchange in QLD, Cotter Dam Pump Station in ACT to Pluto Gas Project in WA. While in WA he took up a position with Westforce in 2010, he has progressed up through the management levels within the business becoming a Director and Shareholder in 2012. In his role as Operations Director, he was responsible for the delivery of all fixed price contracts while also assisting to develop the processes, procedures and management systems to keep pace with the expansion and broadening capabilities of the business.
In 2017 to enable Westforce to develop and achieve the vision for the business it was decided by the Directors to seek a likeminded partner that would bring the financial backing and cooperate governance required to achieve this vision, In Dec 2017 Raubex Group (JSE:RBX) acquired a majority stake in Westforce and has proven to achieve the initial objectives and much more.
In 2019 when Westforce were successful in a Joint Venture Bid for a $60M+ expansion of a Water Treatment Plant, Phil took up the role of Construction Manager to ensure its successful delivery and to protect the companies’ interests.
With the completion of the Water Treatment Project in 2021 Phil was appointed Managing Director to replace his mentor and retiring founder of Westforce Mike Murrey.
As Managing Director Phil understands the importance of relationships within the industry and has focused on this to continue the growth of Westforce with new and repeat clients while maintaining a committed workforce and supply chain that can be relied on to deliver on each and every project.
There are plenty of challenges to overcome to ensure the continued rise of Westforce with the goal to be the civil contractor of choice for the resource and infrastructure sectors, all challenges Phil is energised and ready to take on.
Paddy Kearns
Paddy is a Civil Engineer. Born in Ireland with time spent living in South Africa as a child, he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2005 alongside the now Westforce Managing Director Phil Clarke.
Once qualified Paddy’s first project was Irelands iconic Port Tunnel. Upon arriving in Australia in 2006 Paddy worked on closing out Sydney’s famous Lane Cove Tunnel Project before relocating to Western Australia in 2007. Paddy was involved in Westforce first ever project and has been with the company ever since.
In 2012 Paddy became a shareholder and Director within Westforce. In 2017 Paddy then played a major role alongside his fellow directors in the negotiation that led to the South African listed company Raubex Group (JSX:RBX) becoming a major investor and shareholder in Westforce. This amazing partnership formed part of Westforce growth strategy and has allowed the vision of the company to become a reality.
At Westforce Paddy has filled positions from site engineer to Executive Director and everything in between which gives him a passion and understanding of the business that can only come with 15 years at the company. Paddy’s ability to make both clients and employees feel valued and important is the corner stone of the Westforce culture.
Stanley Bubb
Stanley is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Stanley started off his career working the world-renowned global accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCooper, PwC. With the experience Stanley gained in the mainstream accounting world he then brought this knowledge into the construction industry when he joined the South African construction multinational, Raubex Group (JSX:RBX) in 2017.
After 2 years of working within the Raubex Group in South Africa, Stanley became part of the Westforce team and is now living in Perth, Australia. Stanley was responsible for aligning Westforce financial systems and reporting in line with the Raubex Groups policies and procedures. Stanley is currently responsible for the entire financial function of the company including accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and financial analysis. He is also ensuring that the systems and controls are streamlined and efficient so Westforce can achieve its objectives and goals.
In 2022 Stanley became the Financial Director of Westforce and is a solid member of the management team.